I read Todore?s ?last post? concerning the Iraq war the other night, took a deep breath and waited for the shit to hit the fan. I?m a bit surprised that so far the reaction has been so subdued. Maybe thirdmain is off on some important mission to promote world peace and wasn?t able to label Todore as a terrorist sympathizer in a follow up that completely missed the point and misrepresented his comments. Perhaps thirdmain reserves that honour for Michel G and me, or is it just that Todore knows where he lives?
It?s probably no surprise that I agree with what Todore said, as I almost always do on this topic. In fact, when I read thirdmain?s original post, I had a reaction that was very similar to the sentiments Todore expressed. I chose not to respond because I had no desire to get dragged into another futile cycle of posts in which nobody convinces any one of anything. However, I do admire the perseverance and courage that Todore displays in continuing to challenge thirdmain?s somewhat one-dimensional, xenophobic views, but better him than me.
I guess that it is easier to demonize a murderer when the there is such a direct and obvious relationship between the assassin and the victim. The use of a sword to behead someone is gruesome and gut-wrenching, but is a traditional method of execution in the region, and I?m not convinced that it?s any more barbaric than hanging, the electric chair, the gas chamber and more recently the much more ?humane? and civilized lethal injection. The perception that one form of killing is more civilized than another is surely in the mind of the perceiver. For the victims and their families, the end result is the same.
I imagine that at least part of the reason the terrorists/insurgents/freedom fighters do it, is that they know Westerners will be so affected by the shocking nature of the images. I am sickened by the publicity-seeking quality of the act, the apparent scorn the kidnapers have for their victims and the drawn out period of psychological abuse that leads up to the death, however, executions in the US do receive a lot of [intentional] publicity, drag on for extended periods, and, given the number of death row inmates freed recently on the basis of DNA evidence, I can?t help but wonder how many innocent men were executed when W was Governor of Texas.
The other side of the coin is that, as Todore too-subtly pointed out, it is easier to sustain a disconnect between the action and the result if the killer is miles away. Clearly it is much easier to tolerate statistics of 100 civilians dead in this skirmish, 50 in that one, and 65 somewhere else, when all we view on the TV screen are puffs of smoke from bombs, shells or missiles and burning buildings seen from a distance of several hundred meters or more. We are told, with conviction, that the conflict is just, as is every crusade, and that the airmen/soldiers/sailors were just following orders and doing their duty to protect us from the barbarians. They were trying not to hit civilians but in such circumstances ?collateral damage? is unavoidable, right? Usually no one identifies the person who launched the missile, so the soldier is probably not certain whether he was the one who dismembered any particular baby (sort of like one member of a firing squad having a blank cartridge). As does Todore, I wonder why some appear to deem the disgust, horror and grief of the family members of the victims of ?shock and awe? as somehow less valid or worthy than that of the families of the innocent murdered Christians and Jews who placed themselves willingly in harm's way. I abhor any violence and am sick at heart for the families of all the people, Christian, Muslim or Jew, killed or maimed in this useless war.
One of the most annoying things about that thread of posts was the continuing trend towards self-righteousness that has crept on to the MSN site. As I was reading the original post by thirdmain, it seemed to be another in his series of ?I?m better than the other guy? posts, and I felt that there was a hint of racism lurking somewhere, as is often the case. Then Rick L confirmed that sentiment by concluding that all Muslims are lower than animals. Well, as far as I?m concerned, we are all beasts if you get beneath the thin veneer of civilization. It bothers me that people extrapolate from the despicable acts of a relative handful of zealots and madmen, to characterize the beliefs and behaviour of a whole culture or religion as less than human. There are several Muslims, both Arab-Americans and non-Arab, in my circle of friends and acquaintances. Every one of them is as sick about these deaths (on both sides) as any Christian, and they insist that terrorist acts are not condoned by the teachings of the Koran. I?m not an expert on Muslim beliefs, as some other alumni apparently are, but I have no reason to disbelieve my friends.
I have read that in a number of Muslim-dominated countries (e.g., our ally Saudi Arabia) there are many radical fundamentalists who interpret the Koran selectively to allow them to excuse just about anything. On the other hand, it is also true that there seem to be millions of moderate and progressive Muslims who do not interpret the Koran as a call to eliminate all the infidels. I have certainly read excerpts from the Koran that, if accurate, clearly prohibit terrorist acts. If a non-christian were to extrapolate from the actions of the KKK and suggest that all Christians are racist murderers, would that be fair? I do not have to look very hard to find neo-conservative Christian leaders who selectively interpret the bible to excuse some rather unchristian activities. As for the implication that our Christian society does not breed depraved and brutal acts, I also do not have to search hard to find reports of senseless and sickening crimes committed in Canada and the US on almost a daily basis. So, to quote something I read somewhere, ?He who is with out sin??
As I was reading the various posts on the topic, I began to wonder why thirdmain was such an expert on the sites he was asking us to visit. Aren?t the videos at these sites a form of snuff film? I?ve known that they existed for a long time and never once felt any desire to seek them out. Oh well, as they say, if I may be permitted to be retro for a moment, different strokes for different folks.
11/15/04
